Door-stop.



N0. 8091,5M. PATENTED NOV. 14, 1905.

DOOR S APPLICATION FILE pin ll s FFIFE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14, 1905.

Application filed January 25, 1905. Serial No. 24:2,645.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HAROLD T. DEPUn, a citi- Zen of the United States, and a resident of Kensington, in the county of Montgomery and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door-Stops, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in door-stops; and its object is to provide a simple and easily-manipulated device for positively holding a door at any point in its range of movement or swing.

The invention consists of a block of wood or other material longer than wide or thick, having a bottom gripping-face for contact with the floor and a top face inclined to the bottom face for engaging the bottom of the door. The top face may be straight, but inclined with reference to the bottom face, or the top face may be curved longitudinally, so as to present a gradually-increasing inclination with reference to the bottom face.

It is an object of the invention to make the stop self-righting, so as to always present the gripping-face to the floor, and for this purpose the stop is so shaped as to bring its center of gravity low in order that the stop even when turned upon its side will tend to right itself. All this will appear from the following detail description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved door-stop. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same, showing it inserted under a door; and Fig. 8 is a cross-section on the line a: m, Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a door-stop, consisting of a block 1 of wood or other material, approximately heart-shaped in cross-section-that is, it has rounded sides 2 2, merging at the top in a ridge 3 and springing from a flat base 4, narrower than the greatest width of the block. The block 1 is long compared to either its width or height, and the flat base 4 extends the entire length and constitutes the bottom of the stop. Attached to the bottom 4 is a rubber strip 5, having lateral corrugations to form teeth 6, intended to rest directly upon the floor and serve as a gripping-surface.

It is evident that any other form of gripping surface might be used and that other material than rubber might be employed; also, that the bottom 4 might be utilized for the purpose and either be left plain or variously scored to constitute a gripping-surface.

I prefer, however, to use the rubber strip, since it will not only grip almost any floorsurface, but will yield slightly and therefore will cause the stop to wedge more certainly under the door.

The top of the block 1 is cut away throughout the greater portion of its length to form a wedge-face 7, the said face extending from near one end of the block 1 to the extreme other end, which latter end is reduced in thickness as much as is compatible with strength. This reduced end is of such thickness as to be easily inserted under a door between the same and the floor. By pushing the block thin end foremost under the door 8 the wedge-face 7 will ultimately catch the under edge of the door and because of the resilient non-slipping facing 5 the stop will hold the door firmly in place, especially against any force tending to push the door toward the thicker end of the stop. To a lesser extent the stop will prevent the door from being moved toward the thinner end of the stop.

The wedge-face 7 is shown as curved from the thin end toward the thick end of the stop; but this face may be a simple incline, as shown by the dotted line 7, Fig. 2.

The stop being broad at the base and narrow at the top has a low center of gravity, and consequently tends at all times to assume the proper position-that is, restingupon the strip 5. To facilitate the return of the stop to the proper position should it be overturned, the sides 2 are rounded outward, so that the stop is widest above the base and will the more readily roll back to the upright'position.

The ridge 3 of course prevents the stop from remaining in the completely-overturned position. In fact, the entire body of the stop might be made circular in cross-section and slightly flattened to receive the strip 5, as indicated by the dotted line 1, Fig. 3.

As above stated, the block is so shaped that the center of gravity is low, and it may be made still lower by constructing the floor-engaging face of a material of greater specific gravity than the body of the block. This is accomplished when the floor-engaging face is made of rubber and the body of the block of wood or other light material. By using a rubber floor-engaging face I not only lower the center of gravity, and thus improve the self-righting tendency of the stop, but I also utilize the gripping or non-slipping effect of the rubber upon the floor and also the wedging effect due to its slight elasticity. By making the rubber floor-engaging face narrower than the widest portion of the block the tendency of the block to right itself when overturned is materially augmented.

Since the stop tends at all times to remain in the upright or operative position, the user can simply use his foot to push the stop under a door and need not stoop down and use his hand in order to be sure that the gripping-surface 5 is next to the floor.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A self-righting door-stop consisting of a wedge-shaped block adapted to be inserted between the lower edge of a door and the floor, and having a low center of gravity whereby the block tends to return to the proper position when overturned, substantially as described.

2. A self-righting door-stop consisting of a wedge-shaped block having a low center of gravity and provided with a floor-engaging face that is narrower than the widest portion of the block, substantially as described.

3. A self-righting door-stop consisting of a wedge-shaped block having a low center of gravity and having a floor-engaging face composed of a material of greater specific gravity than the body of the block, substantially as described.

4. A self-righting door-stop consisting of a wedge-shaped block having a low center of gravity and a rubber floor-engaging face narrower than the widest portion of the block, said block being of less specific gravity than that of the rubber, substantially as described.

In testimony whereofl have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HAROLD T. DEPUE. Witnesses:

FRANCIS S. MAGUIRE, F. T. CHAPMAN. 

